Monthly Archives: October 2011

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Once every year, in autumn’s wistful glow,
The birds fly out over an ocean waste,
Calling and chattering in a joyous haste
To reach some land their inner memories know.
Great terraced gardens where bright blossoms blow,
And lines of mangoes luscious to the taste,
And temple-groves with branches interlaced
Over cool paths–all these their vague dreams shew.

They search the sea for marks of their old shore–
For the tall city, white and turreted–
But only empty waters stretch ahead,
So that at last they turn away once more.

In Teleleli the time between sunset and midnight is known as the ‘Dog Watch’, and that between midnight and sunrise as the ‘Graveyard Watch.’ It is traditionally explained that during the Dog Watch no one is awake save stray dogs, and during the Graveyard Watch no one save ghouls and the spirits of the dead.

Many remote, humid and forested areas are home to dinosaurs; or, at least, to creatures resembling the popular image of the extinct dinosaurs of Earth. Like the popular image, but at variance with the most recent scientific theories, the dinosaurs of the other world have no feathers.

Experience would suggest that there should be talking dinosaurs, but only brutish examples have been discovered. It is suggested by some that the gods have made an exception to their usual rule, since a creature with intelligence as well as such size and strength would soon conquer all else. Others say that talking dinosaurs exist, but simply disdain to talk to smaller creatures. Yet others aver that they, having evolved to a philosophy of non-violence, removed themeselves from the world in order to distance themselves from any temptation.

>This forest settlement, despite its name, probably has no more than a few hundred inhabitants. It was founded by a group of young people from Karsh led by a man known as Uncle, which he uses as both name and title.

The ‘city’ is extremely secretive. Although it has few buildings, with most people sleeping in tents, it has a defensive wall that would be the envy of any great city. Some who have escaped say that there are hidden caches of weapons which are likewise of the highest quality.

The inhabitants of the city consist of the original founders, their children, and some of the local tribespeople, who entered the place due to starvation. Some say that the inhabitants of the city deliberately drove off game and poisoned water supplies to achieve this end, and that children were outright kidnapped.

It seems that everyone is effectively a slave of Uncle. It is said that sexual intercourse can only take place with Uncle’s blessing, and that even talking without permission is a crime. Uncle is said to force the inhabitants to ingest various substances which render them more docile.

The stories of some escapees who made their way back to Karsh caused even the wicked people of Karsh to become outraged. Karsh thus sent an expedition to capture Uncle. However, true to their nature, the Karhsians accepted a deal which kept Uncle in power. The Karshians received a number of slaves, none of whom were the original colonists (although some may have been their children). It is also whispered that political prisoners of Karsh are sent to the City of Dignity, where they are tortured and subject to medical experimentation.